A.R.E. Blog

Noah, the Flood and the Edgar Cayce Material
by Kevin J. Todeschi

Perhaps more than any other Old Testament tale, it is the story of Noah and the Flood
with which individuals of all ages and religious backgrounds are most familiar. In Christian,
Jewish, and Islamic literature, the story of the Deluge plays an important role. However, tales of
a global flood are not limited to the Bible or the Koran. In addition to the story of Noah, there
are actually more than two hundred Flood traditions scattered throughout the world. Next to the
Genesis tale, the most well known account was not even discovered until the latter half of the
nineteenth century when twelve tablets were unearthed at Nineveh. These tablets detailed the
Gilgamesh Epic and the adventures of Utnapishtim–a Babylonian Noah–and created a
worldwide fascination with the Flood, while lending further credence to the possibility of a
deluge of mythic proportions.

In the Christian world, the story of Noah has played an important role for two thousand
years. At one time the tale was even more important in the lives of individuals than it is today. It
was once seen as a story that perfectly embodied the potential that humankind had for
degeneration and evil–a story that Jesus brought to mind in the hopes that Christians would ever
be watchful of their ways (Matthew 24:37-39). Between the Middle Ages and the nineteenth
century the fact that fossilized bones of sea creatures could be found on mountain ranges
throughout the world was generally believed to be proof that the Flood had occurred. In
Christian medieval towns while Biblical mystery-moral plays were making the circuit the story of
Noah and his family was a frequent favorite. Even with the discovery of plate tectonics in the
1800s and the knowledge that ice sheets had once covered much of the Northern Hemisphere–
challenging the medieval belief that “fish bones on mountaintops equals world-wide deluge”–the
belief in Noah’s Flood was never doubted by those faithful to scripture.

What may be most interesting to students of the Edgar Cayce material is that between
March 1939 and July 1944 a number of individuals had past-life readings from Edgar Cayce and
were told that they had been members of Noah's immediate family! The Cayce readings also
provide additional information about the Flood story. From Cayce’s perspective, Noah and his
family were not the only individuals saved from the destruction. The readings suggest that the
Flood occurred during the second destruction of Atlantis and corresponded to an Atlantean
migration to all parts of the world. Noah’s family somehow preserved the consciousness that had
been brought into the earth through Adam and the followers of the Law of One and were
instrumental in helping to continue the spiritual and mental evolution of humankind. Perhaps
what is most unique from the readings’ standpoint is that God did not send the Deluge; instead,
the Divine intervened to prevent humankind from completely destroying itself.

Edgar Cayce also provided detailed information about Noah’s family, including the
names of Noah’s daughters-in-law (Rezepatha, Maran, and Shelobothe), whose names are not
mentioned in scripture. Clairvoyant insights also suggest that humankind had become so evil and
degenerate during Noah’s time that misshapen mixtures and half-human beasts had begun to
populate the earth, and would eventually become the basis for the legendary creatures of Greek
and Roman mythology.

Essentially, the biblical account of Noah and the Ark is contained in Genesis 5-9. It is the
story of an old man, singled out from among the corrupt and wicked of the rest of the world,
who found favor in the eyes of God. God told Noah that He had decided to destroy man’s
evilness. He gave Noah instructions to build an enormous craft and to enter into it with his wife,
his sons, and his son’s wives, as well as two of every kind of creature (birds, mammals and
reptiles), and enough food for him to keep all of the Ark’s inhabitants alive for the duration of
the Flood that was coming to destroy the earth.

According to the Old Testament, the Ark’s incredible dimensions measured three
hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide, and thirty cubits high. Historically, a cubit is thought to
be the length of a man’s forearm, or somewhere between eighteen and twenty-two inches. It is
interesting to note that the Ark’s dimensions of six to one (length to width) were considered so
seaworthy that Marine architect George W. Dickie purposefully used the same ratio when
constructing the U.S.S. Oregon, which was launched in 1898. For a time, the Oregon was
considered the flagship of the American fleet and was one of the most stable vessels ever
constructed.

More than one year after Noah and his family first entered the Ark, the craft’s inhabitants
disembarked. Noah offered a sacrifice of burnt offerings in thanksgiving for having survived the
Deluge and God set a rainbow in the sky as promise that He would never again destroy the earth
by flood. From a literal approach to the traditional story, all of humanity is credited with having
descended from one of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

In terms of the biblical account, what may come as a surprise to many individuals familiar
with the Genesis story is that there is more to the tale than is generally gleamed from a simple
reading of the text. In fact, what is not generally known by the modern world is that Genesis
contains not one account of the Flood story but two! Over the years theologians and religious
scholars have isolated at least three major sources within the book of Genesis: the J source, the P
source, and the E source, standing for Jehovah, the Priestly document, and Elohim, respectively.
Both the J source and the P source have their own accounts of the Deluge.

Originally, the different sources of Genesis were discovered because of the way in which
the sources referred to God. The J source uses only the name “Yahweh” (Lord) when referring to
the Deity; the P source uses the names “Elohim” (God) and “El Shaddai” (God Almighty), and
the E source uses both “Yahweh” and “Elohim.”

The Jehovistic source dates from the eighth or ninth century B.C. J is concerned with
thorough descriptions, the personality of the characters, and the care and involvement of a loving
God with His creation. The P document dates from the period after 586 B.C. (when Jerusalem
was taken by King Nebuchadnezzar and the Jews were carried into captivity). P is most
interested in the literal interpretation of the Law, tradition, and the manner in which God guides
his chosen people. Perhaps the most distinctive element in P is the author’s interest in family
genealogies and a seemingly endless number of “begettings,” through which can be documented
the purity of the line that God used to direct His activities in the earth. However, because of the
merging of the independent narratives, we are faced with certain duplicities within the Genesis
account, including:

For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all
flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the
earth shall die...Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
(P Source, Genesis 6:17 & 22)

And,
...I will send rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every
living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground. And
Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.
(J Source, Genesis 7:4-5)

Major differences between these two sources also include the number of animals Noah
was instructed to take upon the Ark, and the length of the Deluge:

J Source:
Seven pairs of birds and clean animals and
one pair of unclean (Genesis 7:2)
The rain lasted 40 days and 40 nights and
the water evaporated after three seven-day
intervals of Noah releasing the dove; total =
61 days (Genesis 7:4, 7:12, 8:6-8, 8:10,
8:12)

P Source:
Only one pair of each creature came into
the Ark (Genesis 6:19)
The water lasted 150 days and remained on
the earth for a total of one year and eleven
days (Genesis 7:11, 8:14)
Anchor Bible

Historically, the separate narratives of the J and P sources were combined by a redactor
(compiler) whose job was to bring the two accounts carefully together, discarding superfluous
material in the process. As one example of the redactor’s work, there is only one account of the
Ark’s construction (Genesis 6: 14-16).

What is perhaps most amazing about the Noah story is the many ways in which seemingly
unrelated sources often draw similar conclusions from the tale. For example, because of the
information contained in Genesis 2:5-6, a number of Christian authors believe that rain was
absent from pre-deluge earth and that the planet received moisture from a water vapor canopy
that engulfed it: “…for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth…But there went
up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.” This same premise was also
advanced by Austrian-born philosopher, educator and clairvoyant, Rudolf Steiner (1861-1925),
the founder of the Anthroposophical Society.

Steiner reportedly possessed the ability to perceive information beyond the material
world, from a “spiritual world” that was just as real to him as the physical world was to others. In
describing the pre-deluge earth, Steiner stated:

…at that time the air was saturated with water mist vapors. Man lived in
the water mist, which in certain regions never lifted to the point where the air was
completely clear. Sun and moon could not be seen as they are today, but were
surrounded by colored coronas. A distribution of rain and sunshine, such as occurs
at present, did not exist at that time. It only appeared in the post-Atlantean
period. Our ancestors lived in a country of mist… (Steiner, “Cosmic Memory,” pg.
253)

Some individuals contend that it was the disappearance of the water vapor canopy and
the resulting influx of solar radiation that became responsible for the tremendous decrease in
humankind’s longevity–from almost 1,000 years to the present span of seven to ten decades.
Scripture further supports this premise in that, immediately after the Flood, life spans begin to
decrease with each subsequent generation. In addition, the absence of rain suggests that the earth
had no system of winds until after the Flood. A proposition that is supported, interestingly
enough, by a literal reading of Genesis 8:1 with the first biblical mention of wind occurring after
the Deluge: “…And God made a wind blow over the earth…” Steiner’s reference to the
continent of Atlantis also places the timing for the Great Flood as occurring long before the
traditional date of occurring somewhere between 2,350 and 2,500 B.C.E. In fact, Steiner pointed
out:

Nearly all the peoples who have left reliable records or legends refer to the
Flood as having taking place about three thousand years before the Mystery of
Golgotha [the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus]; that is the period indicated
by the legends…Obviously it does not refer to the Atlantean catastrophe, for that
took place very much earlier. (Steiner, “Earthly,” pgs. 128-129)

In addition to being a symbol of spiritual faith, for some the Ark is also considered to be
a psychological symbol–an archetype of human experience. The Flood story is an archetype
because it is a part of the human experience all over the world. Over and above its literal truth, in
Jungian psychology the Ark can be seen as a symbolic representation of transformation and
change because the ship’s occupants underwent a journey over which they had no control and yet
somehow ended up at a higher level of awareness because of their catastrophic experience. In
most of these diluvial accounts, legend describes how a family survives a deluge of enormous
proportions. Prior to the disaster, the family generally pulls together everything that is part of
their world (such as the animals in the story of Noah described in Genesis) and finds refuge in a
craft or a ship in which they can ride out the storm. Oftentimes, the family has no control over
their journey for the ship is inundated from above and below and they are forced to simply ride
out the storm. At the end of the flood, the craft generally finds higher and stable ground and the
occupants can disembark and begin their lives anew. Everything that was a part of their old
world is now a part of their new (e.g. the animals get off the Ark as well). The difference is that
now all of the ship’s occupants find themselves upon higher ground.

As an archetype, the Great Flood Myth symbolizes the pattern of being overwhelmed by
personal transformation and change and yet somehow becoming a more enlightened individual
because of the experience. What is fascinating about the archetypal significance of the tale is that
in the last decade of the twentieth century the story of Noah experienced a tremendous rise in
popularity. Almost overnight the market seemed flooded with numerous children’s toys, night
lights, magnets, collector’s plates, ornaments, clothing, figurines and even several movies about
Noah’s Ark. The archetypal reason was not because for some inexplicable reason this man and his
family suddenly fascinated society. Instead, it was because so many individuals apparently felt in
the midst of personal transformation and change themselves that the psychological archetype
resurfaced. People felt motivated to put a Noah’s magnet on their fridge because subconsciously
it resonated to something they were experiencing deep within themselves.

There is also historical verification of the existence of the Ark in the form of eyewitness
accounts of the craft upon Mount Ararat in Turkey near the borders of Armenia and Iran by
many reputable investigators, scholars, military professionals, and theologians. In fact, there have
been more recorded sightings of Noah’s Ark since 1840 than during any other period of recorded
history! This is especially amazing consider that any ascent of Mount Ararat has been an
extremely difficult undertaking. The mountain’s base covers approximately 500 square miles, and
its highest peak soars to almost 17,000 feet. Generally, reports of the Ark’s sighting have only
occurred after an unusually warm period of months, when the ice has had a chance to thaw but
night time temperatures even during the summer can drop to 20 degrees Fahrenheit below zero,
and winds at the summit of the mountain sometimes reach a velocity of 150 miles per hour. The
mountain is infested with poisonous snakes at lower levels, and mountain lions and bears often
roam the ravines. Also, it is not uncommon for a storm to occur daily upon Ararat. Armenian
legend suggests that God Himself hid the Ark upon the mountain until the time is right to prove
to individuals all over the planet that the story is true.

The Cayce readings do confirm the validity of the Noah story and stated in 1944:

For as has been given from the beginning, the deluge was not a myth but a
period when man had so belittled himself with the cares of the world, with the
deceitfulness of his own knowledge and power, as to require that there be a return
to his dependence wholly–physically and mentally–upon the Creative Forces.
Edgar Cayce reading 3653-1

Regardless of whether or not we believe the Flood story, Noah is the symbol of great
faith, heightened consciousness, and overcoming tremendous difficulties. People all over the
world, often separated by vast distances of time and geography have similar stories to tell of a
deluge and its effects upon the planet. By studying the story of the Flood and the traditions
around the world we can see our connectedness at a very deep level. It is a timeless myth, with
historical and spiritual significance; it is a myth for peoples all over the earth, cutting across time
and cultures. It is the story of humankind’s transition from one age to another from an old world
that has lost its innocence to a place of a brand new creation even better than the starting point. It
is the story of a meaningful journey that may be especially relevant for us today.

KEVIN J. TODESCHI is Executive Director and CEO of Edgar Cayce’s A.R.E. He is also the
author of countless articles and more than twenty books, including Edgar Cayce on Soul Mates,
God in Real Life: Personal Encounters with the Divine, and Edgar Cayce on the Akashic Records.
An Ark enthusiast for more than 30 years, his master’s thesis, The Ark Myth, brings together
scripture, history, religious scholarship, metaphysics, and myth. His most recent book is a novel,
The Rest of the Noah Story.

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